Kaleidoscopes

Kaleidoscope Kit

This kaleidoscope set is really rather special. It comes in a wooden box, which looks very elegant, even before you open it! Inside is a kaleidoscope set that allows you to create three different optical instruments.

The main tube is made from brass, but has been given a nickel finish, so it is silver coloured. There is then a choice of 3 attachments that fit to the end of the kaleidoscope with a screw thread. Also a collection of coloured pieces of glass.

The standard attachment (middle left in the main picture) has a ground glass screen at one end, and this creates a standard kaleidoscope. You can either place some of the glass pieces that come with the kit inside, or you can use beads, buttons or any other small object that you choose.

Alternatively you can attach the two tubes to the end of the kaleidoscope. These contain a variety of coloured beads and shiny stars, contained in a liquid. As you look through the kaleidoscope, the items inside the tube slowly fall through the liquid, creating a dazzling display.

Finally, if you fasten the attachment with the lens to the end of the main tube, you create a different instrument, called an octoscope. This uses images from your surroundings, and bends and distorts them before they pass into the kaleidoscope tube, where they contribute to the pattern that you see.